THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Members of the Cabinet,
members of Congress, members of the Armed Forces, veterans, fellow
Americans: thank you for the warm welcome. It's a high honor to join in
this ceremony, and to be in the company of so many veterans of the
United States military.

It is fitting that we gather at Arlington National Cemetery, for it
is the final resting place of thousands of our veterans. Near us are
President John F. Kennedy, General John J. Pershing and General
Marshall, Major Audie Murphy, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

All around us today are reminders of the men and women who stepped
forward, in every generation, to serve the United States and the cause
of freedom and who as veterans continue to make a contribution for the
welfare of our nation.

Each year, on the 11th of November the American people pause to
recognize the veterans who served across the years. And we offer
special thanks to those who still walk among us. Approximately 25
million of our fellow citizens once carried the title of Marine,
soldier, airman, sailor, Coast Guardsman, National Guardsman, Merchant
Mariner, and now carry the title of veteran. We know them as our
neighbors, friends, colleagues, and family members. They make us proud
to be Americans.

Many of our veterans served in a great war in the middle of the
last century. You are the ones who fought in Europe and the Pacific to
throw back tyrants, to answer aggression, and to liberate millions.
Others of you defended our interests in the mountains of Korea, or in
the jungles of Vietnam, or during the long vigil of the Cold War, or in
the caves of Afghanistan and the sands of the Middle East. Whenever and
wherever your service took place, you earned this nation's respect on
the day you first put on the uniform -- and you still have our respect
today.

America is still home to a few who served in uniform during the
First World War, which came to an end 87 years ago today. Their ranks
have grown very thin, yet this nation will never forget all they did for
us. One of these gentlemen, Emiliano Mercado del Toro, recently
celebrated his 114th birthday. (Applause.) He is believed to be the
oldest man in the world, and he is a proud veteran of the United States
Army. (Applause.)

America's military veterans served our country in many different
circumstances -- from intense battlegrounds, to the high seas, to
far-away landing fields, to bases closer here to home. Yet all of them,
throughout their service, shared the same fundamental commitments. They
took an oath to serve a cause greater than self-interest. They lived by
a code, and dedicated themselves to the highest standards of discipline
and loyalty, diligence and faithfulness to duty. And they stood ready,
if duty required it, to fight and to die for our country.

Because such men and women have always been willing to serve, our
nation has been able to win freedom for others, to hold off the
ambitions of the violent, and to keep the peace in troubled places. And
above all, thanks to our veterans, the people of this great nation have
lived in freedom for 229 years. We owe them our liberty.

Veterans understand profoundly the meaning of service and sacrifice
-- so they are not the kind of people who take life for granted. And
they, along with all Americans, hold a special place in memory for those
who fell in the line of duty, many of whom also rest here in Arlington.

A few moments ago I presented a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns,
as a symbol of this nation's respect for those who never lived to be
called veterans. Marine Joe Foss, who earned the Medal of Honor in
World War II, used to say, "Those of us who lived have to represent
those who didn't make it." And this, also, is a sign of the character
of our veterans. Across this country, in communities of every size,
military veterans show the very ideal of good citizenship.

Veterans are comfortable with responsibility and gladly accept
positions of leadership. They look out for each other, and move swiftly
to the side of fellow citizens in need. They build and care for war
memorials. They stand behind our men and women in uniform, and welcome
home our returning soldiers. They give moral support and encouragement
to those who have come home with injuries and who face a hard road
ahead. And they provide a daily example of dependability, physical and
moral strength, and unselfish courage.

Americans appreciate these qualities even more during a time of war. In
this young century, our nation has seen what harm our enemies can
inflict, and the kind of destruction they still intend for free nations.
And we are deeply grateful to the men and women who rise every day in
defense of America and our friends. Today's generation of American
service members are performing their duties with skill, with
effectiveness, and with honor. They are deployed on many fronts in the
war on terror, tracking the enemies of freedom and holding them to
account. They have taken down two dictatorships and liberated 50
million people from tyranny. And at this hour they continue their work
-- striking hard against the forces of murder and chaos, conducting
raids, countering attacks, seizing weapons, capturing killers. Members
of the active duty armed forces, National Guard, and reserves have faced
hard conditions -- tough duty, long deployments, and the loss of
comrades. Our nation has said farewell to some of our finest, and we
mourn their passing. We grieve with their families. We will honor
their memory forever.

Many times since this war began, the people of the United States
have learned of heroic actions taken by members of our military. There
is simply no way to overstate the quality and the bravery of their
performance. Difficult missions are still to come, and we cannot know
every turn that lies ahead. Yet we can be certain that by the resolve
of our country, by the rightness of our cause, and by the character of
our fighting forces, we will prevail. (Applause.)

Well over two centuries have passed since George Washington first
took command of the Continental Army. Yet we can see in today's
military the same virtues that won this nation our independence, and
which have safeguarded our country despite all the challenges of
history. The men and women who wear the uniform in the year 2005 follow
in a long, honorable, and unbroken tradition of service passed down to
them by our veterans. To every veteran, this nation owes a debt we
cannot possibly discharge but we will always acknowledge. And so on
this day of reflection and appreciation, on behalf of the President, I
offer the nation's esteem and gratitude to all the veterans of the
United States Armed Forces.